1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to internal combustion engines and, more specifically, to a device for dissociating diatomic molecules of hydrogen and oxygen from salt water, such as sea or ocean water, and using the hydrogen as a fuel source in an internal combustion engine either as a sole fuel source or as a fuel additive for hydrocarbon fuels.
The use of salt water from the seas and oceans as a fuel source would provide an essentially unlimited supply of fuel that is non-pollutant and readily available to most of the world inhabitants irrespective of borders and substantially reduce the dependency on limited oil resource and the pollutants associated with hydrocarbon production.
While there have been numerous applications of hydrogen production using water, a need exists to produce hydrogen as a fuel without using another limited resource-potable water.
A more compelling reason to use salt water for the production of hydrogen is that the electrolysis achieves a higher degree of energy efficiency by reducing the voltage need to drive the current between the electrodes. Since water is a poor conductor of electricity, the use of salt water provides a current path that is more efficient than water and doesn't require additives to the electrolyte solution to enhance current flow.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other devices designed for generating hydrogen. Typical of these is U.S. Pat. No. 40,805 issued to Arbos on Dec. 8, 1863.
Another patent was issued to Guiles et al. on Sep. 8, 1942 as U.S. Pat. No. 2,295,209. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 2,565,068 was issued to Drabold on Aug. 21, 1951 and still yet another was issued on Mar. 17, 1972 to Pacheco as U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,668.
Another patent was issued to Houseman on Aug. 16, 1977 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,910. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 4,111,160 was issued to Talenti on Sep. 5, 1978. Another was issued to Laumann et al. on Sep. 12, 1978 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,875 and still yet another was issued on 4,442,801 to Glynn et al. as U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,801.
Another patent was issued to Russell on Jun. 9, 1992 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,768. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,600 was issued to Teves on May 7, 1996. Another was published on Aug. 16, 2001 as publication Number U.S. 2001/0013321 to Knowlton et al. and still yet another was issued on Apr. 25, 2001 to Souza as Canadian Patent No. 2,287,270.
The production of a gaseous mixture, composed of oxide of carbon, of hydride, of azote, and of a small proportion of carburet of hydrogen, said compound-being combined with air and used as a. motive power, in the manner hereinbefore set, forth.
A fuel feeding apparatus for an internal combustion engine, comprising a tank for holding water, and having means for placing the water under pressure, a closed conduit connecting the tank and the engine intake, a coil in the conduit for receiving water from the tank, means for heating the coil whereby the water is turned into steam, a container for steel wool in the conduit and mounted to receive steam from the coil outlet and to discharge into the engine intake, means for heating the container whereby the steam passing over the steel wool is reduced in part for producing free hydrogen and whereby mixed steam and free hydrogen is fed to engine intake, and means for adding air to the mixture after it leaves the container.
In an internal combustion engine having a. carburetor and an exhaust manifold, a device for decomposing water by electrolysis, said device including a water receptacle capable of holding a predetermined quantity of water and a layer of molten paraffin on the top of the water, means to conduct heat to said layer from the exhaust manifold to maintain it in molten state, means to collect the gases produced by electrolysis after they pass through said molten layer, and a conduit delivering said gases into the carburetor.
A gas-operated internal-combustion engine adapted to drive a vehicle and having a carburetor, comprising:    A. a gas generator mounted on said vehicle, said generator including a tank having a salt-water electrolyte and a magnesium electrode suspended in said electrolyte to cause hydrogen to evolve in the tank,    B. adjustable means coupled to said generator to vary the rate at which hydrogen is evolved in said tank,    C. means to feed hydrogen from said tank into said carburetor to intermix with air to produce a combustible mixture,    D. means to supply said mixture to the cylinders of said engine,    E. means to sense the amount of hydrogen consumed by the engine to produce a control signal as a function thereof, and    F. means responsive to said control signal to operate said adjustable means whereby the amount of hydrogen evolved is not substantially in excess of that required by the engine.
An arrangement for an internal combustion engine is provided in which one or more of the cylinders of the engine are used for generating hydrogen rich gases from hydrocarbon fuels, which gases are then mixed with air and injected into the remaining cylinders to be used as fuel. When heavy load conditions are encountered, hydrocarbon fuel may be mixed with the hydrogen rich gases and air and the mixture is then injected into the remaining cylinders as fuel.
A process and mechanism for producing hydrogen by electrolysis aboard a vehicle, means for controlling the hydrogen thereby produced, and operating an internal combustion engine with trace amounts of the hydrogen, air and a vehicle-carried hydrocarbon fuel whereby the traces of hydrogen maximize full savings in fuel and reduce pollutants and wherein a triangularly-shaped, separator within a hydrogen oxygen producer reduces costs and increases efficiency. The invention herein exhausts the oxygen to atmosphere with beneficient consequences and utilizes a small amount of hydrogen to enhance the qualities of a hydrocarbon fuel.
A hydrogen-oxygen fueled internal combustion engine is described herein, which utilizes an inert gas, such as argon, as a working fluid to increase the efficiency of the engine, eliminate pollution, and facilitate operation of a closed cycle energy system. In a system where sunlight or other intermittent energy source is available to separate hydrogen and oxygen from water, the oxygen and inert gas are taken into a diesel engine into which hydrogen is injected and ignited. The exhaust is cooled so that it contains only water and the inert gas. The inert gas in the exhaust is returned to the engine for use with fresh oxygen, while the water in the exhaust is returned to the intermittent energy source for reconversion to hydrogen and oxygen.
A combustion engine is provided with a fuel supplementation system in which water is broken down by electrolysis into hydrogen and oxygen which are then added to the fuel delivery system. The electrolysis takes place in a chamber in which a pusher gas rises through perforated horizontal electrode plates to sweep the hydrogen and oxygen from the plates as it is generated, thereby preventing the accumulation of these gases in the chamber. In addition, the electrolyte can be circulated, passing it through a filter, to increase the turbulence and agitation within the chamber. The rate at which the water is electrolyzed is varied, as by modulating the voltage applied to the plates, in accordance with the throttle position of the engine. Since gases do not accumulate in the chamber, variations in the rate at which these gases are yielded are affected substantially instantaneously. Lignite activated water can be added to the electrolyte to inhibit the formation of sludge.
This invention will place less demand on petroleum fuel used in a combustion engine by recycling the exhaust gases, primarily carbon monoxide, used as a reducing agent when combined with hydrogen from the on-board hydrogen generator and will produce a cooler and much less polluting exhaust. The operating cost of a combustion engine will be drastically reduced with much higher performance.
Device and method of generating hydrogen from water and utilizing simultaneously the generated hydrogen gas as alternative fuel or supplemental for automotive and other engines as means to replace up to at least as much as 80% of the hydrocarbon fuels used by such engines. The hydrogen generating device comprises an electrolytic cell or combination of two or more cells energized by a high density direct current of as much as 5,000 amperes, such electrical energy derived from the automotive engine by transforming mechanical energy to electrical energy by means of a direct current generator. The electrolytic cell or cells is supplied by a continuous feed water supply system. Increased capacities are possible due to high amperage loads attainable by the electrolytic cell without overheating. This is necessary to produce the requisite amount of hydrogen gas fuel capable of operating automotive and other engines, for example, with a fuel mixture of hydrogen and only 20% by volume of the gasoline fuel usually used in the engine, after a steady state condition is achieved. The electrolytic cell or cells are equipped with means to control energy load, water flow, gas flow, gas pressure, and presenting the hydrogen gas fuel into the combustion chambers of the automotive and other engines.
A fuel supply system is disclosed for use with a vehicle propulsion system such as an internal combustion engine or a fuel cell system. The fuel supply system includes a water supply, fuel supply, and fuel conversion device coupled to the water and fuel supplies for generating hydrogen from the water and fuel and supplying the hydrogen to an intake manifold of the propulsion system with which the fuel supply system is used. The fuel conversion device preferably includes a vaporization chamber, an inlet nozzle for introducing fine droplets of fuel and water into the vaporization chamber, an air inlet for introducing air into the vaporization chamber to create turbulence in the chamber, a heater in the vaporization chamber for heating the turbulent fuel/water mix at temperatures that cause the mix to convert into hydrogen, and an outlet for supplying the generated hydrogen and air to the vehicle propulsion system.
A hydrogen generating system is provided for use in internal combustion engines for increasing the efficiency of the engine and decreasing emissions from the engine. The hydrogen generating system has an electrolysis cell for generating hydrogen and oxygen gases by electrolysis of an aqueous solution, a power source for providing electrical power to the electrolysis cell, an outflow means for introducing the generated gases into the intake manifold system of an internal combustion engine, a monitoring means for monitoring the operating conditions of the hydrogen generating system, and a control means connected to the monitoring means for controlling the operation of the hydrogen generating system in response to the monitoring means. The invention is also directed to a controller for controlling a hydrogen generating system for use in an internal combustion engine for increasing the efficiency of the engine and decreasing emissions from the engine. The controller has at least one interface means for receiving information on the operating conditions of the hydrogen generating system, at least one control means for controlling a parameter of the hydrogen generating system, and a logic circuit connected to the interface means and control means for providing instructions to the control means in response to the information received from the interface means.
While these engines may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described.